Page 71 of Texting My Secret CEO
“Somebody leaked messages between you and Jackson from inside the game. On a test level or something?”
“No,” I murmur.
“You use each other’s names and… well, I haven’t read them, obviously. But you have virtual sex, apparently, and there’s lots of romance in there too.”
“Let me guess. I’ve gone from a self-made woman to a fuck-her-way-to-the-top opportunist overnight.”
“Uh,” Mara says.
“Mara.”
“Half say something like that,” she admits. “The other half blames him for taking advantage of you.”
“Nobody’staking advantageof anyone,” I hiss. “That’s not what’s happening between us at all.”
“All the internet knows is that a streamer known for playing thisone gameis now in a relationship with the CEO. I know things are more complicated than that, but the rest of the world doesn’t.”
“I don’t even want to look,” I admit.
“You don’t have to.”
I almost laugh at that. “Yes, Mara, I do. Can I call you back?”
“I’m here for you, hon.”
I walk into my office and boot up my computer. It feels like a sick joke, with my legs still aching from this morning, my sex stillsore in the best possible way. Just when everything seemed like it was going to be perfect…
None of the major newspapers have picked it up yet, but it’s all over smaller tech and streamer news. There are twenty-three Reddit threads about it, countless Facebook posts. We’re all over X too. I’ve been tagged a thousand times on five different platforms.
I scan some of the messages, a pit tightening in my stomach.
WalkNova25: I wish I could say I’m surprised, but this is what these women do. Her stream was stagnating, so she decided to use her other assets. I can’t blame her. But how can she respect herself after this?
WhisperWind555: It’s not her fault. She’s ten years younger than him. HE took advantage of HER. It’s classic billionaire stuff. For the longest time, I thought he was one of the good ones. I was wrong.
I shake my head in disbelief. I’m watching my livelihood crumble in front of my eyes… along with any chance of me and Jack building a relationship atourspeed.
For every one message like this?—
EchoSmith: Everybody needs to chill. All I see are two grown adults making the consensual decision to be together.
There are ten like this?—
Spikenoob: Let’s face it. She’s a slut who loves the attention. Let’s see if she loves THIS kind of attention. Mark my words. In a few weeks, this bitch will be on OnlyFans.
I feel sick, turning away from the computer screen. For years, I’ve carefully cultivated my audience, banning people who went too far, encouraging the ones able to have a healthy relationship with their favorite streamer. Now, this new influx of haters will dwarf that. I need to figure out a plan. I have to do something?—
Is that thevideo? It is. Oh, no. It’s the video that jerk trucker took, making Jack look like a territorial bear as he strides toward the camera. There’s no audio—probably because the trucker wanted to hide the fact he was being gross towards me—but the video is damning enough. Even now, though, part of me likes it. His protectiveness. His fire. His certainty.
My cell phone rings. Jack. Finally! What took him so long?
“Hey, baby,” I say, breathless. “We need to figure something out together. Last night was?—”
“Dakota Vale?”
That’s not Jackson’s voice.
“This is Jack’s phone,” I say, sounding silly.
